Have brain fatigue? Arnold School study finds regular exercise may be the cure

OK, couch potatoes. As if the promise of a healthy heart and a trim waistline weren’t enough to get you moving, researchers at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Healthhave found another reason to hit the gym: an energized brain.

That’s right: A little exercise may be just the thing to get those brain cells firing again, according to a study led by Dr. Mark Davis, professor in the Arnold School’s department of exercise science.

Researchers have known for years that regular exercise increases the number of organelles, called mitochondria, in muscle cells, Davis said. Mitochondria generate energy, so an increase is believed to underlie many of the positive physical effects of exercise, such as increased strength or endurance.

Exercise also has positive mental effects, such as relieving depression and improving memory. However, the mechanism behind this occurrence has been unclear until now.

The Arnold School study found that regular exercise, defined as 20- to 30 minutes of moderate activity daily, increases the number of mitochondria in brain cells, leading researchers to believe that, just as in muscles, increased mitochondria is linked to improved mental health.